Gratia Countryman, Minneapolis, 1917. Photograph by Lee Brothers. Minnesota Historical Society
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Gratia Alta Countryman was born in Hastings, Minnesota, in 1866. After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1889 she joined the Minneapolis Public Library staff, eventually working her way up to the position of Head Librarian in 1904. Countryman was the third Head Librarian in Minneapolis, and the first woman to hold that position. She strived to bring reading to everyone, regardless of what position they held in life. She established reading rooms in factories, hospitals and parks. By 1914 the Minneapolis Public Library had books in over 20 languages and offered services for those seeking US citizenship. Countryman was elected president of the American Library Association in 1934, in the midst of the Great Depression. She is credited for bringing the American library system through the depression, and creating a national model that is still used today.
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